Hermione got home that day with Hailey, cursing silently. What had she been thinking? A date with Malfoy! Sure he was hot, but she wasn't ready! She should have refused! She wasn't supposed to go on dates at the moment, and she said yes to Malfoy of all people! How could she have been so careless? Well, what's done is done. She couldn't cancel! That would just be mean, and Hermione was never mean. She sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. She made an appointment with Mrs. Bradburry to take care of Hailey the next day, from 7:00 to 12:00, since Ginny would be on a date with Blaise, surprise, surprise.
Hermione bathed and fed Hailey, and put her to bed, and she noticed Hailey looked a lot happier. Ginny was probably right. Hailey probably found today exciting and entertaining. After all, she had never seen her mother on the job. She had never seen her mother being asked out by her archenemy. It was healthy for Hailey. Hermione went to bed, knowing she could sleep for as long as she wanted; tomorrow was a Saturday, and her first date with Malfoy.
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Draco got back to his apartment, not sure what to feel. Should he be happy that he finally asked her out, or should he feel like he just betrayed his friends and family? Draco decided to choose the former. He would think about the latter later.
Satisfied, Draco went to bed, planning on where to take her.
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"Ginny! What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? I'm going to help you choose what to wear for your date with Malfoy."
"But you have a date with Blaise!"
"It's later than yours, and besides, it's still really early, and I'm only going to be here for a while."
"Okay…whatever. I still don't know why you're doing this…it's just a date."
"Just a date? JUST A DATE, HERMIONE? This is the first date you've had in ages! And your date, by the way, is HOT! IT ISN'T JUST A DATE!"
Hermione backed away a few inches. "God, Ginny. Fine. Let's get me ready."
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Draco's jaw dropped open. Hermione smirked. That was a good sign. Draco, on the other hand, struggled to form a coherent sentence. "Urhmm…uh….errrr….hot…."
Hermione cocked an eyebrow at him, and Draco smiled nervously. "Uhh….yeah….let's go inside the restaurant."
They entered The Green Serpent, the same restaurant he ate in with Blaise when Draco confessed his attraction to Hermione. Draco admired Hermione out of the corner of her eye, her black dress that showed off her curves, her-
"Sir, please take a seat." He looked at the waiter dumbly. "What?"
"Take a seat, Sir."
Draco looked at Hermione, who was staring at him funny, and he snapped out of it. "Oh, right. A chair. Thanks."
Hermione burst out laughing as he sat down. "What?" Draco asked.
"What the hell happened to you?" and she continued to laugh.
Draco stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to laugh even more.
And the date began.
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Draco watched Hermione as she laughed. Her laugh was a beautiful sound, and she looked breathtaking. Her black dress was gorgeous on her, and it showed quite a bit of cleavage, which, in spite of his best efforts, made him smirk. Her hair was done in a style that was hard to decipher, with curls framing her face. Her face... Hermione waving her hand in front of his face made him snap out of it. "Helloooo? Draco, this is the second time tonight you've spaced out. Is anything wrong?"
"No."
"Than why do you seem concentrated on something else? What are you thinking about?"
Draco hesitated. Did she really want to know? Did he really want to tell her the truth? "Uh….nothing. Sorry I've been a little off." Hermione shrugged. "Ooh! Food's here. Let's eat. I'm starving." Draco nodded. Anything to avoid talking. Their conversation from then on was awkward, and Draco really wished she hadn't brought the subject up. Oh well. Halfway through their meal, music started playing a slow number, and Draco smirked as he thought of a plan. He stood up, and Hermione looked up; startled. "Are we leaving?"
"No. Just dancing. Come on." Hermione blushed deep crimson.
"Malfoy, no! I suck at dancing, I-"
"Don't worry, I'll lead you! Come on. It will be fun."
Hermione sighed. "Fine. Let's give it a try." And she reluctantly took Draco's hand and stood up, and walked toward the dance floor. Draco pulled her to him, and he felt Hermione go stiff. He slow danced with her for a while, and she was still stiff. "Granger? Are you tense?" She looked up at him and scowled while a blush tinged her cheeks.
"No!"
"Why are you stiff then?"
"I told you, I suck at dancing."
"Than loosen up."
"I never loosen up."
"Didn't know you were a coward, Granger."
"I am not a coward!" She glared at him indignantly.
"Prove it."
She gave a frustrated groan. "Fine."
She let him twirl her around, and she laughed. Much better… Draco thought. They danced and talked for a long while, and neither noticed the time go by. They only stopped talking and dancing when the musicians stopped playing. When Hermione realized what time it was, she looked at a nearby clock and gasped. "Shit! 12:30! I need to get back home! Mrs.Bradburry was only scheduled to baby-sit for Hailey until 12:00! Shit! I'm sorry, Malfoy! I need to go! I'm so sorry!"
Draco smiled. "It's alright, Granger. Come on. I'll pay the bill, and I'll Apparate home with you."
"You don't need to Apparate with me! I swear-"
"For safety reasons, Granger. I'll Apparate home with you. Wait a minute." Hermione sighed and said something that sounded like "Men.". Draco chuckled as he signaled for the waiter to bring him the bill. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently as he finished paying a minute later, and they exited The Green Serpent, and Apparated right in front of Hermione's apartment building. They stood in front of it for a few awkward moments, knowing that this time was usually the time people…kiss. But neither of them wanted to go for it. "Well….I had a lot of fun, Malfoy. I'll see you on Monday. Thanks for dinner and the dancing. It was awesome! Thanks for tonight. See you around…" and Hermione started making her way up the stairs.
"Granger?"
"Yeah?"
"You're welcome, and maybe we can do it again?"
She brightened up at this. "Really? Are you serious?"
Draco smiled. "Yeah. We'll talk about it on Monday. I'll come by The Three Broomsticks while I'm on lunch break."
She nodded. "Okay. Bye, Malfoy."
"Bye, Granger." And with that, he vanished with a pop.
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Hermione was at work the next Monday, waiting for Draco to come, when Mo Lawns came to talk to her. "Hey, Hermione."
"Hey, Mo."
He cleared his throat, and she waited patiently for him to continue. "Well…errr….I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me this weekend." Hermione's eyes widened. She expected something surprising, but she didn't expect that.
"Uhh….Mo? I'm very flattered you asked but…I already have a boyfriend." Kind of. She added in her head. It wasn't exactly a lie, was it? Mo's face fell.
"Oh. "
"I'm really sorry, Mo."
"No you aren't. I should have known you wouldn't accept. I'm not attractive at all." You're not just unattractive, you're ugly, fat, old, and probably drunk a whole lot. Hermione thought. She shook her head and walked away from Mo. He was really nice, but…he wasn't exactly her type. She sat down; there was nothing left to do but wait for Draco. She waited around 15 minutes more before the familiar blonde came in and sat down in front of her. She smiled and gave him a beer. It was a while before they said anything, not really knowing what to say. Finally, Draco cleared his throat and Hermione looked up at him.
"Uh…Hermione? I know I said something about going out with you again-"
"Yeah."
"Well, next Sunday do you think you can come with me to that huge park really near here? You know, the really, really nice one? We're going to have a picnic."
Hermione nodded and smiled. A picnic! She hadn't had one since she was a little girl. "Sure, what time?"
"Maybe around 2:00, I'll pick you up. But I hope it won't be just the two of us." Hermione frowned; confused.
"I want Hailey to come too."
Hermione grinned. Hailey would be ecstatic. She loved spending time outside, and the park was perfect. She nodded again, and Draco smiled. "Great. Anyway, now that that's settled, How's work?" Hermione laughed.
"Work? Work is shit, Malfoy."
"How much do you get paid here anyway?"
"Uhh….I don't know, but it's enough."
"Just enough, or really enough?"
Hermione bit her lip. "Well, I can't spend too much on luxury."
"Hmmm."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
"Right…."
"Granger? Can I ask you something again?"
"I guess…"
"Why don't you want to tell me who the father is?"
Hermione groaned. She didn't want to go back to that subject. "Malfoy, I'll tell you when I'm ready. Just don't try to find out yourself. I'll tell you."
"Why do you need to be ready? Why can't you just tell me?"
"I….I really don't know."
Draco sighed. "Fine."
"Why do you want to know so much?"
"Because you won't tell me."
"Oh. Okay. Anyway, your lunch break is almost done. I suggest you make it over there soon. Oh yeah. Pay up."
He did as he was told, and kissed her cheek before he left, which made her blush furiously, especially since Mo was watching. She shook her head, forgetting the kiss momentarily. She actually didn't know why she didn't want to tell him who the father was. She really didn't know if she was ashamed, or just stubborn. He was right. She could just tell him, but noooo….she had to be ready, and she spent the rest of the day wondering why.
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"Honestly, Blaise, I don't get that girl."
"Well, you can't read all girls like a book, Draco. Like she said, she will tell you when she's ready. Just be patient. I'm patient with Ginny."
"I can't be patient since I've wanted to know since the day I saw Hailey's picture, which was, by the way, around a month ago! Holy crap Hailey's four months old!"
Blaise shrugged. "She'll tell you. Trust me."
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A/N: Yeah, thanks to all the reviewers so far:
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Your reviews really mean a lot to me, and, the next chapter will be more interesting, I promise!
